I never thought that I would have depression.

It seemed like something only strangers had. Even when a close friend of mine struggled with depression a few years ago, I couldn’t relate to what she was going through. I just thought of it as a really low period some people had and would eventually get out of, if only they tried hard enough.

Depression was a faraway concept, and “depressed” was a word I used casually when I felt particularly sad. I didn’t understand depression—until it happened to me. Continue reading →

Imagine sitting cross-legged at a picnic beside a tranquil lake. The setting sun casts a warm hue of orange and pink in the sky. In front of you is a smorgasbord of home-cooked food: freshly baked bread with home-churned butter, garden salad that literally came from a garden, and melt-in-your-mouth beef braised in red wine. Deep conversations and laughter flow easily, and as the sky darkens, flickering candles illuminate the faces and smiles around you.

One of my earliest memories as a child was waiting for a doctor’s appointment with my mother. We were seated side by side in a nondescript waiting room, and sitting diagonally across from us was a little girl with her mother. Continue reading →